Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton received a qualifying offer making him a restricted free agent and interest from other teams is yet to seriously develop. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com recently quoted a rival executive about Sexton’s market.
“He has no market“
This is not all that surprising considering what has been seen of Collin Sexton up to this point. Add in the fact his season was cut very short due to injury and it makes even more sense. Considering his score-first playing style and obvious deficiencies as a passer last season was a chance to shed any doubts about him as a player, but it was not to be. Now Sexton finds himself in a situation where questions have not been answered and determining his fit has become even more difficult.
One of the biggest obstacles for Collin Sexton is his reported desire to make $20 million (or more) while his value has been gauged by others at about half that number. This comes back to playing style and overall fit.
There is no doubt that Sexton can score when called upon, but when it comes to actually running an offense that is when issues arise. While he has improved as a passer he still has blinders on and does not find open teammates nearly enough. Add in the fact that the Cavs thrived after Sexton went down for the year it must be a concern for any potential suitors in free agency. Correlation does not always mean causation, however it is hard to shake in this instance. With Sexton in the mix it appeared that Cleveland was destined for another Eastern Conference basement finish. Without Sexton they made the play-in tournament.
As far as Collin Sexton is concerned he is not a bad player and not anything better than above average either. There is a spot for him in this league it just might not be in Cleveland. For the Cavs and their quest to take that next step forward they have to make big picture decisions which means moving on from players that can play but do not necessarily fit. The situation in Golden State with Monta Ellis comes to mind all those years ago. Ellis was moved in order to maximize the talents of others on their roster and we have all seen where that has taken them. It is not necessarily a like for like comparison, but the similarities cannot be ignored.
This leads to a decision that must be made by Collin Sexton. Take the money from a bad team that is willing to overpay for numbers that do no lead to winning. The other option is taking less money and playing the role of a sixth-man on a good team. The problem for Sexton is the latter role does not appear to be vacant in Cleveland and would need to found elsewhere. Another issue is that the lack of market makes finding a different suitor much more difficult. Even though it may not be in the best interest of the Cavs, the best option for Sexton is to remain in Cleveland and play for a bigger deal in free agency next year. There is also the option that the Cavs move Sexton during the season during a midseason roster shuffle which may be the most realistic option for all involved.
